


Divergence

by MagicRobot



Series: The Adventures of Replay [9]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, Mentions of Canonical Character Death, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicRobot/pseuds/MagicRobot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He’s supposed to have been my Carrier, but I don’t care. I don’t even think of him as that. Just some mech, that’s what he is to me. Is that wrong?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Divergence

The Memorial Grounds was a winding pathway of bygone days. Tall statues of long fallen heros lined the sides of the path, each one wearing a permanent expression of grim determination. Their arms reached across the narrow way, some holding large weapons within their servos, casting grandiose shadows on the living. Each one was a picture perfect example of Cybertronian pride and courage and, no matter how many times Bumper had walked this path, it never ceased to leave with a sense of complete awe and an unending amount of respect.

Most of the mechs here were from the Great Wars. Bumper didn’t know much about it, as one born during peacetime, but from what his Sire had told him, it had been a gruesome and drawn out affair. It was one that Cybertron was still recovering from and Bumper was only a few cycles away from his adult frame.

Regardless of how much Bumper understood about it, if there was one thing his Creators had drilled into his helm since the day he had emerged, it was to respect the life of a warrior, and Bumper could safely categorize these soldiers as warriors. He looked at the faces of each one, some snarling, some smirking, or even a few frowning, and felt a surge of pride as a Cybertronian. He wished he could have met these great mechs, felt what it was like to be in their presence.

His pace slowed to a stroll as the statues began to thin out. The path began to wind about itself, eventually leading off into an open space. It was circular in nature, large enough to fit a gathering of well over a hundred citizens. The ground was paved with large golden bricks, an import from a faraway organic land. Beautiful crystal structures enclosed to area, bending and refracting light from the sun, creating an ethereal feel. A fitting space for  the regal for of Optimus Prime.

The Autobot leader was done up in decorative stone, his stance imposing, his servos balled up into tight fists at his side. His shoulders were held up and straight, puffing his chest out. His helm was canted off to the sade, his optics narrowed as he seemed to contemplate something in the distance.

It was a lovely statue, all in all, and from what Bumper knew of the Prime, it was a good memorial, even if a bit overdone. 

He maneuvered around the figure, the steady clicking of his boots on the bricks echoing around him. Ahead of him was yet another pathway, this one absent of any statues. It was short, small crystal on either side guiding him to its designated place. The clicking under his boots became softer as he traveled, the pathway giving way to much softer stone, muffling the noises.

He eventually came upon yet another clearing, this one much larger and dense with a barrage of statues. In the center sat a gold-plated ship that shone bright like a beacon. Surrounding it a circular formation were replica mechs of various shapes and sizes, many very familiar to Bumper. A plaque rested next to him and the inscribed glyphs read the simple phrase:  _in memory of the crew members who lost their lives during the voyage of the ‘Lost Light.’_

It was odd being here. The  _Lost Light_ had been his first home, an imperfect and sometimes dangerous one, but it had been the only thing he knew for the longest time. So much so that touching down on Cybertron for the first time had felt entirely foreign to him. Even now, Cybertron felt less like a home and more like just a convenient living space.

But Bumper was not so naive as to believe that the journey had been as smooth as it should have been, and these figures were a testament to this fact.

His gaze lingered on the hull of the ship before that shifted, resting on the form huddled off to the side. Bumper smiled sadly behind his mask, his doorwings drooping slightly as he made his way toward Replay. The other took no notice of his approach, his optics fixated on the statue in front of him. His frame buzzed with melancholy and he seemed to withdraw further into himself to closer Bumper got.

Bumper, scooted up next to his partner. He gave Replay a considerable amount of space, hoping that the other would open up to him in due time. This wasn’t the first time that Bumper had found him like this, and he doubted that it would be the last.

It was unnerving to see Replay like this. He was always filled with such exuberant and positive energy that to see Replat so quiet and pensive was bizarre. Bumper didn’t like it, and so he always tried his best to fix it.

There was a sigh from beside him. Bumper didn’t look over, instead her was entirely fixated on the statue before him. In the corner of his optic he watched Replay uncurl slightly.

“‘Bots always tell me I look like him,” said Replay, and Bumper held in his venting as he waited for Replay to continue. “Sire never said such things, although it’s difficult to get him say much of anything about him.” A twinge of bitterness seeped into Replay’s tone at that and Bumper’s spark nearly broke.

There was silence once more and Bumper had to resist the urge to reach over and lay a comforting servo on his shoulder. Instead,he analyzed to statue, noting that Replay did indeed look a lot like it.

"You know, it’s funny though," continued Replay after a time. There was no humor to be found in his words. "All my life I just wanted to know something about him - anything, really. Anytime I asked other ‘bots about him, they’d all seem uncomfortable; always told me to that my Sire would be more appropriate to talk to. But he never wanted to. It was always, ‘maybe later,’ or, ‘you’re not old enough yet,’ or the worst one yet, ‘not now, Replay, I’m busy.’" Replay snorted, curling back into his previous position, which Bumper noted as being a defense mechanism. 

Replay had never spoken this much about his Carrier. He knew it was a touchy subject, but he never realized how deep the wound went.

"By the time he got around to it, I didn’t even care anymore." Replay rested his chin on his knees. "He’s supposed to have been my Carrier, but I don’t care. I don’t even think of him as that. Just some mech, that’s what he is to me. Is that wrong?"

It was a rhetorical question, that much Bumper could tell. He didn’t know what to say, either way. He had never lost a Creator before. Bumper finally tore his optics away from the statue, watching Replay.

Replay shook his helm. “I don’t know anymore.” He place his helm on his knees and, for a moment, Bumper thought he was going to cry. He shuffled closer, until their thighs almost brushed.

Replay leaned onto Bumper’s shoulder, nuzzling at it. He straightened his legs out, putting his full body weight on Bumper. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just unload all that on you.”

Bumper wound his arm around Replay’s shoulder, hugging him close. He shrugged. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

"Thank you."

Silence once again descended upon them, a much more comfortable one than the one previously. Replay continued to regard the statue thoughtfully and Bumper was content to just watch Replay.

"They say he was a hero," said Replay, so softly that Bumper had to retune his audios in order to hear him. "I think that’s kind of cool."


End file.
